Local health units to get dollars in a new push to curb infestations, which have been on the rise for years.

Ontario is pouring $5 million into the fight against bedbugs in a new push to curb infestations that have been on the rise for years, the Star has learned.

The province’s 36 local health units can apply for a share of the funding, which will also support a public education campaign and a website coming soon at www.bedbugsinfo.ca.

The program, to be announced Monday, will teach people “how they can recognize bedbugs and what actions they can take” in a battle that will also take on the myths about fighting the pests, a government source said.

“The best tool to fight bedbugs is education, so we want to arm Ontarians with reliable information,” the source added, crediting Liberal MPP Mike Colle (Eglinton-Lawrence) for doggedly pushing the issue at the Legislature.

“We also know that our public health units are on the front lines of this battle and this funding is going to better equip them to target their efforts to the communities that need help most,” the source said.

Star columnist Joe Fiorito has also led a crusade against bedbugs, calling for a “universal standard of treatment” by pest control companies, saying some people have been sprayed dozens of times with little or no impact on the problem.

The pests, which are the size of an apple seed and a reddish-brown colour, can leave bites that get infected and itchy, turning home life into a nightmare until they are eliminated. The bugs can survive for 18 months without eating.

Under the government plan, health units would use the cash to support local bedbug programs, boost awareness and assist the vulnerable.

There will also be a “pest management” guidebook for landlords and others teaching them how to identify infestations, conduct thorough inspections and prepare rooms for treatments to get rid of the pesky creatures. (Those with infestations are recommended to hire pest control firms because over-the-counter sprays can be ineffective.)

“Bedbugs can happen to anyone, anywhere,” warn the new public education materials. “We find it hard to imagine where we might have picked up bedbugs. Yet situations such as a trip abroad, riding public transit, having a houseguest or purchasing a piece of second-hand furniture can offer bed bugs a free ride into your home or apartment.”

Reported infestations in Toronto have risen steadily from 43 in 2003 to more than 1,500 last year, the city’s public health unit says.

In September, Colle organized a “bedbug summit” at Queen’s Park and proposed a private member’s bill requiring landlords to disclose bedbug infestations to new tenants. He later withdrew the proposed bill, saying a more comprehensive plan was needed.

He called for a province-wide campaign to control infestations, an expert panel to determine the safest and most effective methods to kill bedbugs and a system to track infestations by public health units.

“I’ve had a 90-year-old constituent of mine that was crying because she got rid of all her furniture, had the place fumigated, bought new furniture, brought it in and they came back again,” Colle told the Star last June.

“So it not only affects your health, it really affects your whole state of mind.”

Among the tips on the government’s new website:

• Adult bedbugs, which commonly live in beds but are also found in furniture, clothing or cracks in the walls and floors, are easily spotted.

• They can migrate through cracks and vents from flat to flat in apartment buildings or condos, making building-wide control efforts important.

• Home remedies like over-the-counter bug sprays, rubbing alcohol and kerosene are ineffective and can be fire hazards.

• To avoid bringing bedbugs home after travelling, make efforts in advance to see if your hotel has a bed bug problem, perhaps through an online registry.

• Inspect your hotel room before unpacking. Leave luggage outside or in the bathroom and check the sheets and mattress, running your fingers along the seams and looking under the mattress tag — a popular hiding spot.

• If you find bedbugs, request another room and inspect it.

• Vacuum your luggage and other bags if you have been in a room with bedbugs. Then wash clothes and linens in the hottest water possible and dry on the highest heat setting for an hour.

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